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A simple, soulful remarriage in Kansas City

Morning guys! Popping in to share a sweet personal wedding story from Janette of Sun + Dotter, who got remarried earlier this year in a beautiful Kansas City celebration. Having first gotten married at 21, moved to San Francisco, had her daughter Vivian (who’s five now) and then experienced life as a single mom for three years, Janette knew a lot more about love, marriage, and family by time she got engaged to Jeff at 34. Now we’ve got her story, thoughts on getting remarried, and their wedding as captured by Becca Spears. Take it away, Janette…

Our wedding was so special because was a real-life story of redemption… A true gift that still amazes me every time I think about it. I had been married before and was living in San Francisco as a single mom. I knew Jeff from when I lived in Kansas City years earlier, and I was surprised to hear from him shortly after I became single. It didn’t take long for me to write off both him and any notion of a Kansas City connection. But, it turns out he left an indelible impression on me, and 18 months later we finally started dating long-distance. Six months after that I moved, and six months after that we got married!

During our ceremony, after Jeff and I exchanged our vows, he kneeled down and pledged his commitment to Vivian as well. He promised to pick flowers with her, to tell her stories, and to protect her, and he gave her a charm bracelet. She surprised him by giving him a trophy inscribed with “New Mr. Huggable” in return! It is incredible to me that not only has Jeff committed his life to me, but also to Viv. He is an amazing man.

Even though Janette’s first thought was to elope, Jeff’s vision of a church wedding surrounded by friends ended up being the perfect way to celebrate their commitment.

These cuties wore rompers designed by Dionne of My Moon and sewn by Janette’s mom.

We got engaged in January and married in May. We wanted a personal touch in everything we did. Our email invitation shared a video of us telling our story—and it ended with Viv chanting “marry him, marry him,” which was something she truly said all on her own one night! We got married in our church, surrounded by 175 of the people we love most. We had a loose dress code of asking everyone to wear neutral colors. (Metallics included!) We shared some of our favorite wedding details with everyone on programs letter-pressed by a friend. Viv was our “bubble girl,” aiming a bubble gun down the aisle with her best friend from birth, Milla, who visited from San Francisco.

Weddings are full of “supposed-tos.” White dress that costs thousands of dollars, matching bridesmaids, first dance, cake-cutting time… I followed the formula when I was 21, but over a decade later, we were a hundred times more thoughtful about what actually mattered. We were traditional in that it was important to us to have a church wedding and a ceremony that honored and explained the ancient tradition of covenant. But what we loved most were the touches that made it truly “us,” like when Jeff carried a big box of donuts into the middle of the dance party, and that I carried an olive branch (a symbol of peace) down the aisle rather than a traditional bouquet. To get married at this age was incredibly meaningful, surrounded by friendships that have stood the test of time, and deeply aware of what a life-long commitment means. I’ll never forget when one friend gave me a hug after the wedding and said, you really got it right this time. Our entire wedding weekend was a gift that will carry us through many, many years together.

Thanks to Janette for sharing today. Wishing you, Jeff, and Vivian the best!